Lock Every Door

Right off the bat I knew this was going to be a trippy book; it was dedicated to Ira Levin (Rosemary's Baby) which is also set in an old Gothic apartment building in the city. Jules has just agreed to be an apartment sitter for one of the oldest and prestigious apartment buildings in the world. As a child she adored the building since it was the setting of her favorite book and she can't believe she was lucky enough to land such a cushiony job. She's going to get paid $12K for staying in the most luxurious apartment looking over central park. And it's only a 3 month commitment! What could wrong?! For starters there seem to be an awful lot of rules. She can't have guests over, she can't talk to or "bother" the residents (many of whom are mega rich celebrities), she can't stay the night anywhere else and she can't post any pictures of the place online. Jules soon discovers that there are three other apartment sitters in the building and just when they start to bond, one of them goes missing. Even though no one is convinced that anything is wrong, Jules feels in her gut that something happened. On top of that some very mysterious thing happening around the building starts to put her on edge. It's a slow build thriller that will keep you guessing and when you get to the end and are convinced you finally figured it out...  you'll realize just how wrong you were. Creepy and fun, definitely for fans of Rosemary's Baby. 

Horror - Rosemary's Baby

Author: Ira Levin

Title: Rosemary's Baby

Publication Date: 1967

Number of Pages: 308

Geographical Setting: New York

Time Period: 1960s

Plot Summary: I've grown up my entire life hearing how scary the movie version of "Rosemary's Baby" is so I was really excited to give the novel a try. There's nothing more thrilling then being too terrified to fall asleep! I'm sad to say that the book didn't live up to my expectations. It just wasn't scary. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book, in fact it was really compelling, it just didn't terrify me like I hoped it would. I set the bar a little too high on this one.

I got really into the novel very quickly because it is so character driven. You can relate soo well to Rosemary (at least I thought so)! Rosemary and her husband move into the much coveted old brownstone and gothic apartment they've had their eye on for years. When a family friend warns them that they should steer clear of the apartments because of the evil vibes lurking there (high suicide rate, cannibals, dead babies, murder and more have taken place in this building) they don't heed his warning and move in. They befriend an elderly couple next door and are practically inseperable, when Rosemary becomes pregnant they take care of her like she was their own daughter. Soon however, Rosemary starts to notice that things aren't right. The first few months of her pregnancy she loses far too much weight and is in constant pain, her husband lands an important acting role after his main competitor "mysteriously" wakes up blind, and she has a violent nightmare in which she has sex with a terrifying being and wakes up with scratches all over her. Are her naighbors practicing black magic? Is her husband involved? The build up on this novel is incredible as Rosemary's life starts to spin out of control and she pieces together what is going on. It has a great conclusion and it's hard to stop reading once you start.

I highly recommend this even though it isn't scary. I will most definitely be watching the movie son!!

Subject Headings: (via WorldCat)Apartment houses -- Fiction. Pregnant women -- Fiction. Satanism -- Fiction.

Appeal: Fast paced, character driven, dark, and graphic.

Similar Works:
1. Fiction: (via Goodreads)
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
The Omen by David Seltzer
The Other by Thomas Tryon

2. Non-Fiction: (via WorldCat)
Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend by Jeffery S. Victor
Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her by Torey L. Hayden
Strange bedfellows : religion, feminism, and fundamentalism in the satanic panic by Kelley Jo Jarrett